13. But Death in all her forms appears From every thing he sees and hears For whom he leads and whom he bears 14. Love making all things else his Foes Like a fierce torrent overflows Whatever doth his course oppose 15. This was the cause the Poets sung Thy Mother from the Sea was sprung But they were mad to make thee young 16. Her Father not her Son art thou From our desires our actions grow And from the Cause the Effect must flow 17. Love is as old as place or time 'T was he the fatal Tree did climb Grandsire of Father Adam's crime 18. Well mayst thou keep this world in awe Religion Wisdom Honour Law The tyrant in his triumph draw 19. 'T is he commands the Powers above Phoebus resigns his Darts and Iove His Thunder to the God of Love 20. To him doth his feign'd Mother yield Nor Mars her Champions flaming shield Guards him when Cupid takes the Field 21. He clips hopes wings whose aery bliss Much higher than fruition is But less than nothing if it miss 22. When matches Love alone projects The Cause transcending the Effects That wild-fire's quencht in cold neglects 23. Whilst those Conjunctions prove the best Where Love 's of blindness dispossest By perspectives of Interest 24. Though Solomon with a thousand wives To get a wise Successor strives But one and he a Fool survives 25. Old Rome of Children took no care They with their Friends their beds did share Secure t'adopt a hopeful Heir 26. Love drowsie days and stormy nights Makes and breaks Friendship whose delights Feed but not glut our Appetites 27. Well chosen Friendship the most noble Of Vertues all our joys makes double And into halves divides our trouble 28. But when the unlucky knot we tye Care Avarice Fear and Jealousie Make Friendship languish till it dye 29. The Wolf the Lyon and the Bear When they their prey in pieces tear To quarrel with themselves forbear 30. Yet timerous Deer and harmless Sheep When Love into their veins doth creep That law of Nature cease to keep 31. Who then can blame the Amorous Boy Who the Fair Helen to enjoy To quench his own set fire on Troy 32. Such is the worlds preposterous fate Amongst all Creatures mortal hate Love though immortal doth Create 33. But Love may Beasts excuse for they Their actions not by Reason sway But their brute appetites obey 34. But Man 's that Savage Beast whose mind From Reason to self-Love declin'd Delights to prey upon his Kind ON Mr ABRAHAM COWLEY His Death and Burial amongst the Ancient Poets OLd Chaucer like the morning Star To us discovers day from far His light those Mists and Clouds dissolv'd Which our dark Nation long involv'd But he descending to the shades Darkness again the Age invades Next like Aurora Spencer rose Whose purple blush the day foreshows The other three with his own fires Phoebus the Poets God inspires By Shakespear ' s Iohnson ' s Fletcher ' s lines Our Stages lustre Romes's outshines These Poets neer our Princes sleep And in one Grave their Mansion keep They liv'd to see so many days Till time had blasted all their Bays But cursed be the fatal hour That pluckt the fairest sweetest flower That in the Muses Garden grew And amongst wither'd Lawrels threw Time which made them their Fame outlive To Cowly scarce did ripeness give Old Mother Wit and Nature gave Shakespear and Fletcher all they have In Spencer and in Iohnson Art Of flower Nature got the start But both in him so equal are None knows which bears the happy'st share To him no Author was unknown Yet what he wrote was all his own He melted not the ancient Gold Nor with Ben Iohnson did make bold To plunder all the Roman stores Of Poets and of Orators Horace his wit and Virgil's state He did not steal but emulate And when he would like them appear Their Garb but not their Cloaths did wear He not from Rome alone but Greece Like Iason brought the Golden Fleece To him that Language though to none Of th' others as his own was known On a stiff gale as Flaccus sings The Theban Swan extends his wings When through th' aetherial Clouds he flies To the same pitch our Swan doth rise Old Pindar's flights by him are reacht When on that gale his wings are stretcht His fancy and his judgment such Each to the other seem'd too much His severe judgment giving Law His modest fancy kept in awe As rigid Husbands jealous are When they believe their Wives too fair His English stream so pure did flow As all that saw and tasted know But for his Latin vein so clear Strong full and high it doth appear That were immortal Virgil here Him for his judge he would not fear Of that great Portraicture so true A Copy Pencil never drew My Muse her Song had ended here But both their Genii strait appear Joy and amazement her did strike Two Twins she never saw so like T was taught by wise Pythagoras One Soul might through more Bodies pass Seeing such Transmigration here She thought it not a Fable there Such a resemblance of all parts Life Death Age Fortune Nature Arts Then lights her Torch at theirs to tell And shew the world this Parallel Fixt and contemplative their looks Still turning over Natures Books Their works chast moral and divine Where profit and delight combine They guilding dirt in noble verse Rustick Philosophy rehearse When Heroes Gods or God-like Kings They praise on their exalted wings To the Celestial orbs they climb And with the Harmonious sphears keep time Nor did their actions fall behind Their words but with like candour shin'd Each drew fair Characters yet none Of these they feign'd excels their own Both by two generous Princes lov'd Who knew and judg'd what they approv'd Yet having each the same desire Both from the busie throng retire Their Bodies to their Minds resign'd Car'd not to propagate their Kind Yet though both fell before their hour Time on their off-spring hath no power Nor fire nor fate their Bays shall blast Nor Death's dark vail their day o'recast A Speech against Peace at the close Committee To the Tune of I went from England BUt will you now to Peace incline And languish in the main design And leave us in the lurch I would not Monarchy destroy But only as the way to enjoy The ruine of the Church Is not the Bishops Bill deny'd And we still threatned to be try'd You see the Kings embraces Those Councels he approv'd before Nor doth he promise which is more That we shall have their Places Did I for this bring in the Scot For 't is no Secret now the Plot Was Sayes and mine together Did I for this return again And spend a Winter there in vain Once more to invite them hither Though more our Money than our Cause Their Brotherly assistance draws My labour was not lost At my return I brought you thence
lays Her self and softly thus lamenting prays Dear Reliques whilst that Gods and Fates gave leave Free me from care and my glad soul receive That date which fortune gave I now must end And to the shades a noble Ghost descend Sichaeus blood by his false Brother spilt I have reveng'd and a proud City built Happy alas too happy I had liv'd Had not the Trojan on my Coast arriv'd But shall I dye without revenge yet dye Thus thus with joy to thy Sichaeus flye My conscious Foe my Funeral fire shall view From Sea and may that Omen him pursue Her fainting hand let fall the Sword besmear'd With blood and then the Mortal wound appear'd Through all the Court the fright and clamours rise Which the whole City fills with fears and cries As loud as if her Carthage or old Tyre The Foe had entred and had set on Fire Amazed Anne with speed ascends the stairs And in her arms her dying Sister rears Did you for this your self and me beguile For such an end did I erect this Pile Did you so much despise me in this Fate My self with you not to associate Your self and me alas this fatal wound The Senate and the People doth confound I 'le wash her Wound with Tears and at her Death My Lips from hers shall draw her parting Breath Then with her Vest the Wound she wipes and dries Thrice with her Arm the Queen attempts to rise But her strength failing falls into a swound Life's last efforts yet striving with her Wound Thrice on her Bed she turns with wandring sight Seeking she groans when she beheld the light Then Iuno pitying her disastrous Fate Sends Iris down her Pangs to Mitigate Since if we fall before th' appointed day Nature and Death continue long their Fray Iris Descends This Fatal lock says she To Pluto I bequeath and set thee free Then clips her Hair cold Numness strait bereaves Her Corps of sense and th' Ayrs her Soul receives A Preface to the following Translation GOing this last Summer to visit the Wells I took an occasion by the way to wait upon an Ancient and Honourable Friend of mine whom I found diverting his then solitary retirement with the Latin Original of this Translation which being out of Print I had never seen before when I looked upon it I saw that it had formerly passed through two Learned hands not without approbation which were Ben Johnson and Sir Kenelme Digby but I found it where I shall never find my self in the service of a better Master the Earl of Bristol of whom I shall say no more for I love not to improve the Honour of the Living by impairing that of the Dead and my own Profession hath taught me not to erect new Superstructions upon an old Ruine He was pleased to recommend it to me for my companion at the Wells where I lik'd the entertainment it gave me so well that I undertook to redeem it from an obsolete English disguise wherein an old Monk had cloathed it and to make as becoming a new Vest for it as I could The Author was a Person of Quality in Italy his name Mancini which Family matched since with the Sister of Cardinal Mazarine he was co-temporary to Petrarch and Mantuan and not long before Torquato Tasso which shews that the Age they lived in was not so unlearned as that which preceded or that which followed The Author writ upon the four Cardinal Vertues but I have Translated only the two first not to turn the kindness I intended to him into an injury for the two last are little more then repetitions and recitals of the first and to make a just excuse for him they could not well be otherwise since the two last Vertues are but descendants from the first Prudence being the true Mother of Temperance and true Fortitude the Child of Iustice. Of Prudence WIsdoms first Progress is to take a View What 's decent or un-decent false or true Hee 's truly Prudent who can separate Honest from Vile and still adhere to that Their difference to measure and to reach Reason well rectify'd must Nature teach And these high Scrutinies are subjects fit For Man's all-searching and enquiring wit That search of Knowledge did from Adam flow Who wants it yet abhors his wants to show Wisdom of what her self approves makes choice Nor is led Captive by the Common voice Clear-sighted Reason Wisdoms Judgment leads And Sense her Vassal in her footsteps treads That thou to Truth the perfect way may'st know To thee all her specifick forms I 'le show He that the way to Honesty will learn First what 's to be avoided must discern Thy self from flattering self-conceit defend Nor what thou dost not know to know pretend Some secrets deep in abstruse Darkness lye To search them thou wilt need a piercing Eye Not rashly therefore to such things assent Which undeceiv'd thou after may'st repent Study and Time in these must thee instruct And others old experience may conduct Wisdom her self her Ear doth often lend To Counsel offer'd by a faithful Friend In equal Scales two doubtful matters lay Thou may'st chuse safely that which most doth weigh 'T is not secure this place or that to guard If any other entrance stand unbarr'd He that escapes the Serpents Teeth may fail If he himself secure not from his Tayl. Who saith who could such ill events expect With shame on his own Counsels doth reflect Most in the World doth self-conceit deceive Who just and good what e're they act believe To their Wills wedded to their Errours slaves No man like them they think himself behaves This stiff-neckt Pride nor Art nor Force can bend Nor high-flown hopes to Reasons Lure descend Fathers sometimes their Childrens Faults regard With Pleasure and their Crimes with gifts reward Ill Painters when they draw and Poets write Virgil and Titian self admiring slight Then all they do like Gold and Pearl appears And others actions are but Dirt to theirs They that so highly think themselves above All other Men themselves can only Love Reason and Vertue all that Man can boast O're other Creatures in those Brutes are lost Observe if thee this Fatal Errour touch Thou to thy self contributing too much Those who are generous humble just and wise Who nor their Gold nor themselves Idolize To form thy self by their Example learn For many Eyes can more then one discern But yet beware of Councels when too full Number makes long disputes and graveness dull Though their Advice be good their Counsel wise Yet Length still loses Opportunities Debate destroys dispatch as Fruits we see Rot when they hang too long upon the Tree In vain that Husbandman his Seed doth sow If he his Crop not in due season mow A General sets his Army in Array In vain unless he Fight and win the day 'T is Vertuous Action that must Praise bring forth Without which slow advice is little worth Yet they who give good Counsel Praise deserve
a gallant boldness If 't were thine Thou could'st not hear 't with such a silent scorn I am amaz'd Ha. Sir perplex your thoughts no further They have truth to make 'em bold And I have power to scorn it 't was I Sir That betray'd him and you and them King Is this impudence or madness Ha. Neither A very sober and sad truth to you Sir King A Guard there Enter Mirvan and others King Seize him Ha. Seize them now Though 't is too late to learn yet know 'Gainst you are King again what 't is to let your Subjects Dispose all offices of trust and power The beast obeys his keeper and looks up Not to his masters but his feeders hand And when you gave me power to dispense And make your favours mine in the same hour You made your self my shadow and 't was my courtesie To let you live and raign so long King Without there Enter two or three and joyn with the others What none but Traytors Has this Villain Breath'd treason into all and with that breath Like a contagious vapour blasted Loyalty Sure Hell it self hath sent forth all her Furies T' inhabit and possess this place Ha. Sir passions without power Like seas against a rock but lose their fury Mirvan Take these Villains and see 'em strangled 1. Bash. Farewell Sir commend us to your son let him know That since we cannot die his servants We 'll die his Martyrs King Farewell unhappy friends A long farewell and may you find rewards Great as your Innocence or which is more Great as your wrongs 2 Bash. Come thou art troubled Thou dost not fear to dye 1 Bash. No but to lose my death To sell my life so cheap while this proud villain That takes it must survive 2 Bash. We shall not lose our deaths If Heaven can hear the cries of guiltless blood Which sure it must for I have heard th' are loud ones Vengeance shall overtake thee Ha. Away with ' em King Stay Haly they are innocent yet life when 't is thy gift Is worse than death I disdain to ask it 1 Bash. And we to take it Ha. Do not ask it Sir For them to whom you owe your ruine they have undone you Had not they told you this you had liv'd secure And happy in your ignorance but this injury Since 't is not in your nature to forgive it I must not leave it in your power to punish it King Heaven though from thee I have deserv'd this plague Be thou my Judge and Witness from this villain 'T is undeserv'd Had I but felt your vengeance from some hand That first had suffer'd mine it had been justice But have you sent this sad return of all My love my trust my favours Ha. Sir there 's a great resemblance Between your favours and my injuries Those are too great to be requited these Too great to be forgiven and therefore 'T is but in vain to mention either King Mirza Mirza How art thou lost by my deceiv'd credulity I 'le beg thy pardon Ha. Stay Sir not without my leave Go some of you and let the people know The King keeps state and will not come in publick If any great affairs or State addresses Bring 'em to me King How have I taught the villain To act my part but oh my son my son Shall I not see thee Ha. For once you shall Sir But you must grant me one thing King Traytor dost thou mock my miseries What can I give but this unhappy life Ha. Alas Sir it is but that I ask and 't is my modesty To ask it it being in my power to take it When you shall see him Sir to dye for pity 'T were such a thing 't would so deceive the world And make the people think you were good natur'd 'T will look so well in story and become The stage so handsomly King I ne're deny'd thee any thing and shall not now Deny thee this though I could stand upright Under the tyranny of age and fortune Yet the sad weight of such ingratitude Will crush me into earth Ha. Lose not your tears but keep Your lamentations for your son or sins For both deserve 'em but you must make haste Sir Or he 'l not stay your coming He looks upon a watch 'T is now about the hour the poyson Must take effect King Poyson'd oh Heaven Ha. Nay Sir lose no time in wonder both of us Have much to do if you will see your Son Here 's one shall bring you to him Exit King Some unskilful Pylot had shipwrackt here But I not only against sure And likely ills have made my self secure But so confirm'd and fortify'd my state To set it safe above the reach of Fate Exit Haly. Enter Prince led Servant at the other door Princess and Soffy Serv. Sir the Princess and your Son Prince Soffy thou com'st to wonder at Thy wretched father why dost thou interrupt Thy happiness by looking on an object So miserable Princess My Lord methinks there is not in your voice The vigour that was wont nor in your look The wonted chearfulness Are you well my Lord Prince No but I shall be I feel my health a coming Princess What 's your disease my Lord Prince Nothing but I have tane a Cordial Sent by the King or Haly in requital Of all my miseries to make me happy The pillars of this frame grow weak As if the weight of many years oppress 'em My sinews slacken and an Icy stiffness Benums my blood Princess Alas I fear he 's poysoned Call all the help that Art or Herbs or Minerals Can minister Prince No 't is too late And they that gave me this are too well practis'd In such an Art to attempt and not perform Princess Yet try my Lord revive your thoughts the Empire Expects you your Father 's dying Prince So when the ship is sinking The winds that wrackt it cease Princess Will you be the scorn of fortune To come near a Crown and only near it Prince I am not fortunes scorn but she is mine More blind than I. Princess O tyranny of Fate to bring Death in one hand and Empire in the other Only to shew us happiness and then To snatch us from it Prince They snatch me to it My soul is on her journey do not now Divert or lead her back to lose her self I' th' amaze and winding labyrinths o' th' world I preethee do not weep thy love is that I part with most unwillingly or otherwise I had not staid till rude necessity Had forc'd me hence Soffy be not a man too soon And when thou art take heed of too much vertue It was thy Fathers and his only crime 'T will make the King suspitious yet ere time By natures course has ripened thee to man 'T will mellow him to dust till then forget I was thy Father yet forget it not My great example shall excite thy thoughts To noble actions And you dear Erythaea Give
Confident By torture has confest Mor. The story of the King and of the Bashaws Ha. Mirvan poor-spirited wretch thou hast deceiv'd me Nay then farewel my hopes and next my fears Enter Soffy So. What horrid noyse was that of drums and Trumpets that struck my Ear What mean these bonds could not my Grandsires jealousie Be satisfied upon his Son but now Must seize his dearest Favourite sure my turn comes next Ab. 'T is come already Sir but to succeed him not them Long live King Soffy Without Drums and Trumpets So. But why are these men prisoners Ab. Let this inform you So. But is my Grandsire dead Ab. As sure as we are alive So. Then let 'em still be prisoners away with 'em Invite our Mother from her sad retirement And all that suffer for my Fathers love Restraint or punishment Enter Princess So. Dear Mother make Our happiness compleat by breaking through That cloud of sorrow And let us not be wanting to our selves Now th' heavens have done their part Lest so severe and obstinate a sadness Tempt a new vengeance Princess Sir to comply with you I 'le use a violence Upon my nature Joy is such a forrainer So meer a stranger to my thoughts I know Not how to entertain him but sorrow Ill made by custom so habitual 'T is now part of my nature So. But can no pleasure no delight divert it Greatness or power which women most affect If that can do it rule me and rule my Empire Princess Sir seek not to rob me of my tears Fortune Her self is not so cruel for my counsels Then may be unsuccessful but my prayers Shall wait on all your actions Enter Solyman as from the Rack Guard So. Alas poor Solyman how is he altered Sol. Why because I would not accuse your Father when your Grandfather Saw he could not stretch my conscience thus he has Stretcht my carkass Mor. I think they have stretcht his wit too Sol. This is your Fathers love that lyes thus in my bones I might have lov'd all the Pocky Whores in Persia and Have felt it less in my bones So. Thy faith and honesty shall be rewarded According to thine own desire Sol. Friend I pray thee tell me where-about my knees are I would fain kneel to thank his Majesty Why Sir for the present my desire is only to have A good Bone-setter and when your Majesty has done that office To the Body Politick and some skilful Man to this body of mine which if it had been a Body Politick had never come to this I shall by that Time think on something for my suffering But must none of these great ones be Hang'd for Their villanies Aside Mor. Yes certainly Sol. Then I need look no further some of their estates Will serve my turn So. Bring back those villains Enter Haly and Caliph So. Now to your tears dear Madam and the Ghost Of my dead Father will I consecrate The first fruits of my justice Let such honours And funeral rites as to his birth and vertues Are due be first performed then all that were Actors or Authors of so black a deed Be sacrific'd as Victims to his Ghost First thou my holy Devil that couldst varnish So foul an act with the fair name of Piety Next thou th' abuser of thy Princes ear Cal. Sir I beg your mercy Ha. And I a speedy death nor shall my resolution Disarm it self nor condescend to parley With foolish hope So. 'T were cruelty to spare 'em I am sorry I must commence my reign in blood but duty And justice to my fathers soul exact This cruel piety let 's study for a punishment A feeling one And borrow from our sorrow so much time T' invent a torment equal to their crime Exeunt FINIS The Epilogue 'T Is done and we alive again and now There is no Tragedy but in your brow And yet our Author hopes you are pleas'd if not This having fail'd he has a second Plot 'T is this the next day send us in your friends Then laugh at them and make your selves amends Thus whether it be good or bad yet you May please your selves and you may please us too But look you please the Poet lest he vow A full revenge upon you all but how 'T is not to kill you all twenty a day He 'l do 't at once a more compendious way He means to write again but so much worse That seeing that you 'l think it a just curse For censuring this 'Faith give him your applause As you give Beggars money for no cause But that he 's troublesome and he has swore As Beggars do he 'l trouble you no more M. W. Windsor Edward the third and the Black Prince Queen Philip. The Kings of France and Scotland Thames The Forrest Narcissus Runny Mead where that great Charter was first sealed Magna Charta Mr. W. Mr. W. Murrey We three riding in a Cart from Dunkirk to Calice with a fat Dutch Woman who broke wind all along His Father and Son His Pindaricks His last work The Iesuites Hunting near Paris he and his Horse fell into a Quarry Mercury Mercury Graecia Major Vates Seneca The Prophecy They pull off their disguises